Bargains galore: 10 interesting used cars we found this week for around £1k

Starting this week off is an E46 325i ‘Clubsport’ finished in a gorgeous Individual shade of ‘Estoril Blue’, and equipped with a set of M3-style alloys. No issues reported with its 2.5-litre straight-six either, but considering it’s covered over 165,000 miles to date, we doubt it’s still channelling the 189bhp/181lb ft it left the factory with. Looks mint, at least. 

Quite simply a Chrysler 300C for £1,000. Don’t get greedy and hope it’s the V8, though, because at this price it won’t be anything punchier than the turbo-diesel V6. Still, it’s mechanically spot on and offers as much space and comfort as most mansions. Its seller has already integrated Apple CarPlay and a reverse camera too, which makes it an even more tempting (and usable) proposition. 

A pioneer of sorts for Hyundai, because it showed that the South Korean marque wouldn’t focus solely on building boring boxes. Here’s one with a sunroof and a brave yellow paint scheme, with all of its 165bhp sent to the front axle through a four-speed automatic. That you can get a car like this for under a grand is quite incredible.

Fourth entry in and we’ve finally got a manual, and what a lovely shape it’s attached to. The Mk7 Celica may not have the credentials of some of its brethren, like the WRC-dominating Mk5 and Mk6, but it’s a cool car in its own right. This one even gets gold-painted alloys to play off the red body, and has just 81,000 miles to its name from three previous owners. 

We had the keys to a Mk1 Octavia vRS and a few hours on the Isle of Man last winter, and we were quietly surprised. It’s not quick, but what the hot Škoda has is personality: lots of turbo whistles, a spirited romp from 3,000rpm onwards and a thick, heavy gear lever to gel it altogether. At just £995, here’s one that’s nothing short of a steal. 

Cutesy, fun and pennies to maintain. So many people say Alfa Romeo ownership is a rite of passage for any would-be car enthusiast, and we’d argue that the little Mazda should be seen in the same way. Here sits a Mk2 finished in gold and black, provided with a swappable hard-top roof, for less than a flight ticket to Japan.

Or, if you disagree with the MX-5’s rite of passage thing, here’s an Alfa for a few quid more. As the name suggests, it’s a proper two-door, four-seat GT car which hails from a time when the brand’s design team was in fine form. The six-speed manual is hooked up to a 170bhp straight-four engine, and given the estimated kerb weight of 1.4 tonnes, it’ll be fairly rapid when you need it to be. 

Something a little different, because this is an Accord Type S estate which, save for the double exhaust pipes, doesn’t look remotely exciting. But beneath the long bonnet sits a 2.4-litre, 16-valve ‘K23’ four-pot boosted with VTEC witchcraft, paving the way for a top speed of 146mph. Proper sleeper, this. 

One of the great BMW designs. We’d argue this one looks even better with the boot rack and the patches of mud across its metallic blue body, complemented emphatically by the tiny five-spoke alloys and the even tinier kidney grilles. If the Octavia is a steal, this is daylight robbery. 

Summer is nearly here, and that means evenings spent toiling away on a project car until the sun goes down. You’ve got the weather, you’ve got the time, but you’ve not got the car. Here’s the solution: a Rover Mini ‘Mayfair’. It starts and drives as per the ad, but there’s a lot of rust that needs treating. Shouldn’t take long, though, considering no body panel is longer than a few millimetres in length and width. It is a Mini, after all.